Art blogger

Snow - embrace it!

2011-11-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight and for most of the day tomorrow we are supposed to get snow. In fact they are talking about a blizzard and -18, but I will believe when I see it. The weather must have been what inspired me to try a snowy scene. I did this 9x12 on canvas in about 3 hours - direct painting. When you live in a cold climate you must get out and enjoy it - ice fishing, skating, x-country skiing, plein air painting - maybe not. Embrace it or it will be a loooooooong winter!

Draw, draw and draw some more

2011-11-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

Whoops...I accidentally deleted Thursday's blog and got busy this weekend without posting anything. I had gone to a drop-in figure sketch class on Monday to sharpen up my drawing skills. It was nice to sit and draw and chat with other people. It helps to realize that the issues I am encountering - loosening up more - are shared by others. I had fun with the 5 and 15 minute sketches. Here is one - the rest need to be censored more.

5 min life sketch - charcoal on paper

After this I attempted a landscape painting which is coming along - I will post when it is done. I have been scoping out contemporary figurative artists I like - for my upcoming project. I really loved the recent cover of American Artist magazine which featured Aaron Smith's colourful paintings. See what you think by clicking http://aaronsmithart.com/work/bearded-blokes/

Procreate - it can be fun!

2011-11-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been looking into different types of art that requires few materials that could be messy or have fumes and would be relatively easy to do. So this week I downloaded the Procreate App onto my ipad and I have been having lots of fun with it for the last 3 days ( Procreate app ). It is a painting and drawing tool that is quite user friendly and relatively easy to master. Above was my third attempt at a drawing with my finger and I was impressed how you could blend colours and control line. Today I bought a stylus tool - although there are lots of youtube videos that show you how to create your own version - I was afraid to wreck my precious ipad. For $4.99 the Procreate app has been a pretty decent purchase so far. If you have found something you like send me your ipad art and your impressions of other drawing / painting tools!

Svob Workshop

2011-11-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I got to manage and attend a 3 day workshop with Mike Svob, an artist from White Rock, BC. He does wonderful, colourful artwork www.mikesvob.com/ and he has a good sense of humour so the workshop was informative and fun. I came away with how important the use of thumbnails, lots and lots of thumbnails, are to a good final picture; as well as to get your values right. Mike had us try a different style each day, this picture below is from day 3 of the workshop.

Cannery House

So little time...so little art

2011-10-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

It has been a very busy week. On the weekend the 'Art from the Unknown' show was on. I had a lot of fun setting up my space and seeing all the other art that was there, and being involved in a real live show.

my 8 x 4' space

After that I had to do a portfolio review for my Fine Arts certificate and start thinking about choosing a theme for a series of paintings I have to produce. Currently I love painting people and figures, so I am really drawn to the work of Michael De Brito, his work is awesome, check it out. www.michaeldebrito.com/

Michael De Brito

And now I am prepping for the Mike Svob www.mikesvob.com/ workshop that I get to manage and participate in this weekend. Mike's work is also excellent. Lots of great colour and he is a fun instructor.

So I say all this to say that I didn't physically paint or draw this week, but my whole week has been taken up with art things anyway. Oh well... I will be painting a ton next week.

Stop Picking

2011-10-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hot Spring Island - Oil 12 x 24

I spent some time finishing up my paintings that will go into this weekend's 'Art from the Unknown' show. The painting above was meant to be a sketch for a larger version. I painted this from a photo we took in Haida Gwaii this summer and it was done in about 1-2 hours. Funnily enough the bigger piece was to laboured and picky and did not turn out very well. I liked this one much better, it seemed brighter and fresher. This happens to me a LOT, which tells me something - trust my instincts, don't overthink and quit while your ahead!

When time permits, I like to see what else is out there in the art world. The link in brackets takes you to an art blog called BOOOOOOOM ( fun fine-art remakes ) that currently has some interesting and funny photo 'remakes' of famous paintings or photos. The Frieda Khalo and Van Gogh look alikes were my favorites. Check it out.

Giving Thanks for Beautiful Fall Days

2011-10-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

Photo Old Fort trail #7 - Jasper

This week was a short one. We spent a beautiful Thanksgiving in Jasper, mountain biking, relaxing, eating and then came home on Monday to receive an invite to another Thanksgiving dinner. What could be better than Thanksgiving dinner - TWO Thanksgiving dinners that's what!!!

the BIG painting

Tuesday I did a 90 minute portrait warm-up sketch before moving on to the 'big' painting I have been working on for a month now. I plan to take the warm up sketch to a complete version this week sometime.

90 minute warm up (9x12 oil)

Thursday already?

2011-10-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

I fine tuned a large painting this week but most of my time was spent working on the steps of the house, seen below. Is this art? No. It was mostly lots of physical labour, but trying to make the new cement match the old, did require some measure of artsy-ness. I had a great feeling of accomplishment when I was done, having no experience framing and parging before. Thank goodness for the internet - you can find out how to do ANYTHING on there!

Back to blog - soon!

2011-09-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

'Self-Critique' - Oil on Canvas - 24x48

After taking some time off the blogging, I have returned with some new paintings and a commitment to attempt a weekly blog update. Once a week, by Thursday, I will post an update on my art adventures. Currently I am trying to get three paintings ready for an event entitled 'Art from the Unknown'. Hosted by local MLA Rachel Notley, the show allows artists who are 'unknown' the chance to display some of their paintings. I am looking forward to it.

The painting above is one of the paintings I finished a couple months ago that I plan to put in the show. A self-portrait, painted fairly quickly (2 days) when I was feeling frustrated with myself and some of the other paintings I was working on. For me sometimes faster is better.